Similarities Between Catcher In The Rye And Othello

The Catcher in the Rye is one of J. D. Salinger's world-famous books about the disgruntled youth. Holden Caulfield is the main character and he is a seventeen- year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his fourth school. Navigating his way through the challenges of growing up, Holden separates the “phony” aspects of society, and the “phonies” themselves. Some of these “phony” people in his life are the headmaster whose friendliness depends on the wealth of the parents, and his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection. This book deals with the complex issues of identity, belonging, connection, and alienation. Holden senses these feelings most of the time and is guilty about many things in

In the book, “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden Caulfield has many conflicts and life lessons. Throughout the story the author, J.D. Salinger, creates events that make the main character realize that in life people change and grow. The message behind the story is let children grab the “gold ring” and you can’t always be the catcher in the rye. All of the things that make Holden who he is have many resemblances to the life of the author, J.D. Salinger.

In literature, a character’s unique perspective on common human experiences can both engage the reader, and vastly contribute to a text’s endearing value and significance. The Catcher in The Rye offers a rich portrayal of such themes as, the impact of alienation as a form of self-preservation, resistance to change, and the psychological effects of unresolved grief. By telling the story directly through the first-person narration of Holden Caulfield, Salinger offers an unusually in-depth perspective of an emotionally complex character, who is struggling to find his place in the world. Unlike many coming of age stories, the reader of Salinger’s novel is left with a strong sense that Holden will continue to struggle with the protective wall of

During the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, author J.D. Salinger brings Holden’s pessimistic, antisocial personality to life through what he says, how he says it, and through the characters he meets. Salinger bases Holden’s expressions off of the culture of the 1950’s, his own personal dialect, and the everyday occurrences of Holden’s life in mind. J.D. Salinger manipulates the diction, uses syntax to criticize others, and controls the character interaction and dialogue in order to create the protagonist, Holden Caulfield.

However, the dynamic personality of Othello presents a darker view of human nature as Othello’s personality changes for the worst as opposed to Holden Caulfield’s personality, which changes positively through his realizations. At the end of the play, Othello is not who he used to be, Othello is not as emotionally strong due to him being manipulated by other characters. For example, before heading to Cyprus Othello assured the duke that he would never let his relationship get in the way of his work, “heaven defend your good souls, that you think I will your serious and great business scant, When she is with me”(Act 1 S.3), and eventually it does. Othello’s change in personality has presented a darker view of human nature. Also, Othello is constantly paranoid about Desdemona through his delusional jealously, “She’s gone. I am abused, and my relief must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage”(Act 3 S.3). Othello is convinced that his wife is unfaithful which causes him to act uncontrollably, and eventually leads to him killing his innocent wife Desdemona who was actually faithful all along. This presents the darkness of nature and shows the fault and flaws of human nature in Othello. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holdens personality has changed for the best; realizations have affected Holdens personality. For example, “The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it is bad to say anything to them”(Salinger, Chapter 25). This quote proves to the reader that, Holden has decided not to run away and go home, and Holden realizes that growing is just apart of life and kids will fall and get back up. Comparably, Holden proves that his personality has changed positively towards the end of the novel, “How are you going to know what you’re going to do till you do it? The answer is you don’t. I think I am but how do I

Shakespeare wrote the play Macbeth using Macbeth as a protagonist in this old English play. Holden Caulfield is also the main character in “the catcher in the rye” written by J.D Salinger. This essay will elaborate on the similarities of the characters and the difference in their individual societies. What external forces are used? Are they honest, do they lie? What kind of influence are women? I will illustrate the strategies used between the characters and different qualities they obtain.

One of the greatest American Literature writers, J.D. Salinger, was familiar with a rough childhood by experience. He was able to parallel his experiences to the experiences of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in The Catcher in Rye. In this novel, Holden experiences conflicts that most youth are not familiar with. The conflicts in Holden Caulfield’s life are caused by various forces and circumstances.

American poet May Sarton once said, "Everything I've ever written is to understand something, some idea, some emotion". This idea lends to understanding how the autobiographical story telling of Holden and Dave helps them achieve some semblance of therapy. Though “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” exists as an acknowledged memoir, Holden Caulfield still gives his story through a first person lens, making his story every ounce as autobiographical as Dave’s. Because the relationships that Dave and Holden cultivate over the course of their stories do not exist as entirely successful ones, it that makes the relationships they have with themselves all the more important. In an essay discussing the irony in “Catcher in the Rye”, author Privitera says, “The irony of Holden is that the harder he tries to keep his family and friends at arm’s length, the closer he comes to making unexpected discoveries about them and even himself.”

American politician Marco Rubio once said,“The American dream is a term that is often misunderstood. It isn’t really about becoming rich or famous. It is about things much simpler and more fundamental than that” (brainyquote.com). This concept is true in the novels The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald. In both novels, the protagonists (Holden and Gatsby) are pushed by society to live up to the stereotypical ‘American dream’. Both Holden and Gatsby have high and unrealistic expectations of themselves. They both share fond memories and their different ideas of the American dream; but in the end, they realize their ideas of them are just fantasies. After realising the truth behind the American dream, it leads them to their tragic end. The American dream is not beneficial because it pushes people in society to be something they are not. Both stories are tragic because the pursuit of the dream, and Holden’s individuality.

Holden Caulfield plays a timeless character in the sense that his way of life is common for the American teenager, in his time as well as now. Today parents dread the terrible and confusing adolescent years of their child's life. In J.D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is in this terrible and confusing point of his life. At this point in his life, as well as in modern teenager's lives, a transition occurs, from child to adult. Holden takes this change particularly rough and develops a typical mentality that prevents him from allowing himself to see or understand his purpose in life.

The way an author describes a character, their morals and their position allow us as readers to either engage in the world the story holds or perceive it as just another tedious novel. In both To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the authors attempt to elucidate the thoughts of the characters that appear unpleasant through techniques such as symbolism, setting, characterization, and plot. Both stories focus on love and abhorrence in a society and the segregation of those who are not compatible with the social norm. Although set in different times and with different lifestyles, both Holden and Tom Robinson seem treacherous. The novels give us insight into how they perceive the world and why they may

The truth of one’s character can be expressed through his or her own thoughts, actions, and words. Respectively, one’s downfall is embodied by his or her own character. In William Shakespeare’s King Lear, Lear’s character is depicted as one who descends into madness as a result of his irrational actions early in the play. Similarly, Holden Caulfield, from J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, enters the coming-of-age process; however, his behaviour illustrates his ongoing cynicism and depression. The reasons behind Lear and Holden’s downfall exist in the physical, social and psychological flaws they inherit as tragic heroes. Both individuals suffer immensely from their unreasonable actions from ill-considered decision making, their inability to maintain genuine relationships with others, and the psychological conflict within them.

When the mind protects itself from outside pain it uses multiple defense mechanisms according to Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytical Theory.In J.D.Salinger’s novel, The Catcher and the Rye, Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is shielding himself from all outside experiences that cause pain to his inner psyche. Holden has many repressed memories, and as a result, he shields himself using the mechanics which are in the Psychodynamic Theory also written by Sigmund Freud.When the book begins Holden does not introduce himself like most typical Novels about people's life, instead, he knows what the reader wants. According to him the reader “...will probably want to know

The endings of both novels are very different, yet provide similar messages. The end of Catcher in the Rye is extremely ambiguous. Holden refuses to say what happened after the carousel. He just says that he got sent to a hospital after he went home and got sick. The fact that he didn’t share anything about his what happened to him and what he will do in the future, exhibits that he hasn’t changed much. He is the same evasive, immature seventeen-year-old that the audience met in the beginning of the novel. But, the fact that he is flexible about his future may hint at the fact that he is growing up. The end of The Stranger is extremely direct. Meursault is on death row and finally realizes that there is no turning back, and that he will die.

From the beginning of time, achieving success and greatness has been the ultimate human goal. Success can be found in many different forms, from ruling a Roman empire to receiving a high grade on a test. Society’s view of success has changed throughout generations, urging people to conform to society’s beliefs in order to fulfill their goals and dreams. The theme of success and fulfillment are evident in literature and theatre pieces that were written centuries ago, and continue into novels written in the present. The play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, and the novel The Catcher in the Rye, written by J. D. Salinger follow the lives of two protagonists’ as they are each individually shaped by society’s idea of prosperity. The protagonists of both the novel and the play, Holden and Macbeth, exhibit similar qualities that allow them to attempt to achieve ultimate greatness and find success. Both the novel The Catcher in the Rye and the play Macbeth demonstrate the pressure there is on men to prosper and achieve high rankings in society. This pressure leads to the development of wrath and mental illness, resulting in the disruption of harmony. Both Holden and Macbeth possess significant amounts of wrath, causing poor decision-making. To add, Macbeth and Holden both struggle with mental illness, again causing unfavourable outcomes. While the men possess these similarities, they differ in the outcome of their